Black Feathers
by Hodgeofpodge
Summary: While working at a grog tree in Ambala, Philip the Black Barn Owl meets the most beautiful Owl he's ever seen. But when his best friend starts to show an interest in the same girl, conflict ensues. Some violence and little owl language.


**A/N: Alright, first thing I would like to say is that I'm still alive. Just getting that out there. I would like to appologize to fans of my story, _The Guardian_. I will be publishing the next chapter as soon as my busy schedule allows. I have it half written, but I have to find the time to write the next half. Yeah, I know, I'm publishing this, so obviously I had time, but this is different.**

**I actually started this story to blow off some steam from a relationship that I almost had with a girl that I know. Yes, almost. Read the story and you'll find out. Anyway, I had to change the story a lot to make it owl and interesting. The basic story is I liked this girl, I told a semi-closeish friend about it, waited to long to ask her out, then found out a few days after I did ask her out that she was dating the friend whom I had told I liked her. It's confusing, I know. Welcome to my life! But, everything in the story after Philip first realizes that the other two are dating is totally made up. Actually, Philip's hatred for Jeramias is totally fictional too. I still like the guy, as it was my fault that I didn't ask her out fast enough, and in his defense, I don't think he could remember far enough back to when I told him. It was like a month or two ago.**

**Also, this story is not about racism just because the character Philip is a Black Barn Owl. It's about nature-cism. I did some research on Black Barns and found out that there are only three in captivity, which actually means there are only three in existence. When a Black Barn is born, which is actually due to a gene mutation or something, the parents will either kill it or push it out of the nest. The funny thing is that technically, Black Barns are actually the normal Barn Owls. White Barns are albinos. Alright, I'm starting to ramble.**

**Oh yeah, I don't own the Guardians of Ga'Hoole. That would be Mrs. Lasky. I do own Philip, Jeramias, and Lily and Marcus and Shrin and, well, everybody except for Barran and Digger. I even found a way to work Neera into this story!**

**Neither do I own the song used later in this fanfic. The song is called _World So Cold_ by 12 Stones. It's an awesome song. I would highly recommend it ;D**

**Black Feathers**

"Order up!" shouted the male Black Barn Owl from behind the counter. He watched as a female Barn owl sauntered up and took the dish to it's intended table. _Gosh, she's beautiful_, he thought as she walked away.

The Black barn Owl's name was Philip. He wasn't really much to look at. His stature was nothing special, he wasn't very athletic, his feathers weren't alwaya the and above all else, he was a Black Barn. Black Barn owls were a sort of curse in the owl kingdom. Some ancient legend or other stated that Black Barns were a sign of death. Usually the doomed owls were killed or kicked out of their nest when they were born. But his mother hadn't. Because of this, he had struggled to gain favor with the other owls. Even so, he was still hated by many.

Philip wasn't exactly "fresh" out of the nest, but he was pretty darn close. He had been living on his own in the forest of Ambala for about two weeks before he had picked up a job at this grog tree.

He had hated every second of it. There was something about putting up with drunk owls all night long that got really old really fast. The only thing that kept him from leaving was the very owl who had just gotten the dish.

Lily. Her milk white face outlined by a ring of bronze feathers turned to a golden-yellow color as it moved down the soft feathers of her chest. She been employed at the tree three days after Philip had, and it had been hard for the Black Barn to focus his on work ever since. He had tried to start up many conversations with her, but time to talk was hard to come by. After all, she was a waitress and he was just a grog-sheller.

The grog-sheller's job was to pour the grog into the shells in which it was served. He hated the job, as he always went home smelling like the vial liquid.

Also working at the grog tree was the owner, Marcus, a Great-Horned Owl who was in charge of cooking the voles and such. Jeramias, another Barn Owl, worked as a sous chef for Marcus, which basically meant he turned the voles on the spit and made sure nothing burned.

Now, Jeramias wasn't exactly the brightest coal in the forge. He always had a blank expression on his face and talked with the detachment of one who was perpetually in his own world and perfectly content with being there. Another thing about Jeramias, and for some reason, just about every other owl with the same detachment and lack of concern, was that he was blessed with breathtaking white plumage and the muscle of a Great-Gray. He was irresistible to young females searching for a strong, handsome mate.

He was also naturally athletic. During the Ambala games, Jeramias had taken the gold in just about every event. Be it catch the sparrow or stone throwing, Jeramias dominated.

Philip didn't hate Jeramias. In fact, he actually kind of liked the guy. He was awesome at what he did, but at the same time, he was a good friend. Often when business was slow, the two would hold long conversations about whatever crossed their minds. Usually it involved particularly rowdy patrons of the tree and the ridiculous things that they did.

This night, One of those strange things had happened. It had started with a group of about ten owls, seven males and three females, who had been hitting the grog hard. Apparently, they were celebrating some huge military victory, probably made up, that they had won with no loss of life or, oddly enough, even injury on their side.

After one boisterous and badly sung tune, a Great Gray jumped up on the table and declared his love for one of the Snowy females in the group. The female didn't hesitate to swipe the legs out from underneath her gregarious companion. She then used a nut-shell she was holding in her talons to knock the wind out of him before cracking him over the head, rendering him unconscious. Marcus had quickly, and rather harshly, ordered the group to, "Get out of his bar right now," and something about how if they came back, he'd shove his talons so far up their...umm, yeah...that they'd be glad their waste was yarped through their mouths. They had to drag their unconscious companion by his talons and wings.

After that, business had died. Lily was helping out the lone customer in the grog tree and striking up friendly conversation. Jeramias beckoned to Philip from the kitchen and the Black Barn walked over.

"Yes?"

"That was insane, wasn't it?" he asked.

"Those owls? Yeah man, I know what you mean."

"It was pretty cool how that one was so open about who he loved and all that."

The conversation wasn't going the way Philip wanted. "Yeah, I guess it was." When Philip looked back at Jeramias, the white barn was staring at him expectantly. "Yes?"

Jeramias sighed. "Well? Who is it?"

"Who is who?" Philip asked, feigning puzzlement.

"Who do you like? Gosh, and they call me the dumb one!"

Philip shuffled his talons and glanced over his shoulder at Lily. She was laughing at something the customer had just said. _I love it when she laughs!_ Philip thought.

When he looked back at Jeramias, the other owl was grinning at him. "I see." he said.

"Alright, alright. I like Lily! There, you happy?"

"Yes." the other owl stated. He looked over at the female owl and said, "I think she likes you too!" He then turned around and walked back into the kitchen.

"Gosh, that owl is weird." Philip said to himself.

"Who's weird?" Asked a female voice behind him. He turned quickly to see Lily standing there, a questioning look on her face.

"N-No one." Stuttered Philip, "Just something we were talking about."

"Mmm-hmm?" She cooed, blinking slowly at him. _Is she flivling with me?_ He wondered.

"Uhh, we were talking about those owls that came in earlier."

"Oh yeah! Crazy right?"

"Yeah! Definitely!"

_What do I say?_ He frantically searched for a conversation topic. "So uhh, did you hear that Snowy that flew through here a few days ago? That singer?"

"You mean that one that sounded like a girl?" She asked.

"That wasn't a girl?"

"No! He was a guy!" At this, they both began to laugh. Marcus picked that moment to come out of the kitchen.

"What are you two laughing at? Get back to work!" And that was the end of their conversation.

* * *

><p>Over the next few weeks, Philip tried to be near Lily as often as possible. He strived for the occasional conversation in passing, the shared glance whenever possible. With every passing moment, Philip liked Lily more, and he was sure she felt the same about him.<p>

One day, Philip had worked up the courage to ask Lily on a night flight. He preened his feathers extra well that twilight before going to the grog tree, working his ebony beak through every feather of his black plumage until he felt he was ready. He then took off from his hollow and made his way to the grog tree.

But on his way to work, another owl flew up to the Black Barn and informed him that Philip's mother requested his assistance. A few minutes later, he found out that the assistance his mother required was actually a full move to a different part of Ambala. Apparently, Her hollow had been invaded by some very feisty squirrels who had decided that it was better suited for their use. When Philip asked why she didn't just tell them to leave, she informed him that they had babies. His mother was a sucker for infants. So he helped her move some of the best moss and other random knick-knacks to a hollow about two days away. He stayed with her the first two weeks just to make sure she was settled. Then he flew back to his part of the forest to return to his job.

Luckily, somebody had told Marcus where he had disappeared to, as he figured he wouldn't have a job when he got back. But when he returned, there stood Marcus, as stony faced as usual.

"Alright, you've had your break, now get in there. You have some shells to fill." With that, he turned around and walked back inside.

When Philip entered the hollow, he saw the usual cliental for that time of the evening. He saw The Norther Saw Whet who was missing a talon and wore a patch over one of his left eye, as well as the female who always accompanied him. In the corner sat a group of hire-claws who had come here every night at the same time for the past two years, or so Marcus said.

Then his gaze settled on Lily. She and Jeramias were holding a conversation. Philip approached the two owls and asked "Hey, what's up?"

They both turned and greeted the Black Barn Owl, asking where he had been and what he had been doing. He told them about the move then asked how things had been going around there. They both responded simultaneously, "The usual!". The three owls laughed, happy to be together again. And Philip was ready to resume his pursuits of Lily.

* * *

><p>But from the moment that he returned to the grog tree, he was never able to get Lily alone. Whenever he walked in, she would be talking to Jeramias about who knows what. He would always try to join in, and they would always let him, but they always acted strange when he was around, as if he had walked in on them doing something they shouldn't have been. This caused him to worry even more. Did Lily still like him, or was she falling for Jeramias?<p>

Finally, one day he figured there was only one way to figure out if Lily still liked him. The Ambala Games pre-dance was coming up. If there was one thing Philip could do, it was dance. He and the Spotted Owl who was organizing the event were close friends, and as such she had asked him to find as many owls as he could to come to the dance. He figured he could use this as an excuse to ask Lily out in a non-suspicious manner.

So, the next day when he went to work, he kept searching for a time he could ask her. Finally, at around day break, as she was preparing to leave for her hollow, he stopped her.

"Hey Lily!"

She turned to look at him. At that moment, the rising sun came over the horizon and lit up the forest like a fire, each fragment of light seeming to reflect off of her white feathers. Philip was unable to move or speak.

"Yes?" she asked.

He shook his head before continuing. "Hey, uhh, the pre-games dance is coming up, I'm actually helping with set up tomorrow, and I was wondering if you would like to go, because the lady who's putting it on needs people to attend, and it would be nice if you could come!" He blurted out.

"Umm," she thought before answering. Each moment felt like and eternity for Philip. He didn't know what he would do if she said no. That would crush him.

"Sure, I'll see if I can make it!" Is all she said before flying away into the rising sun. A moment later, Jeramias shoved past Philip and flew out the opening of the hollow.

Philip just stood there, dumbfounded. He couldn't believe she'd said yes! Well, not exactly yes, but close enough! He was in a daze as he flew back to his hollow. He didn't know what to say, what to do. He couldn't even get to sleep. All he could think of was Lily. At some point, he must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he remembered was a burrowing owl shaking him awake.

"Are you Philip?" he asked.

"Yes, that would be me. Who are you?"

"The name's Stephen, and I have a message for you from a pretty young lass named Lily. Would you like to receive it?"

"Fire away."

The burrowing owl straightened up in a professional manner and cleared his throat before saying, "Thanks so much for the invitation, but I'm afraid something has to come up, and I won't be able to attend."

Philip couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was she turning him down? Why wasn't she able to make it? What else could possibly be going on in the forest of Ambala on the night before the games?

But regardless, It was time for Philip to go work. As he lifted his wings to fly, he couldn't help but think about why Lily has said no. Was it true? Was she not interested in him?

* * *

><p>The dance had gone well. Philip wasn't able to enjoy it, though. One bright spot was that another young Barn owl and her sister, both of whom he was decent friends with, came to the dance. They were new to dancing, so he was able to teach them some of what he knew. This provided him with at least a slight distraction.<p>

The next day rolled around, and Philip grudgingly dragged himself to the Ambala games. He was only competing in one category this year, stick fighting. _I'll compete_, he told himself, _Then I'll go home_.

He was preparing for the tournament when Jeramias flew up to him. "Hey man! Are you ready for the games?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess." The Black Barn responded.

"Gotcha. Hey, I have a question."

"Ya?"

"Hey, uhh," the other Barn owl started, "Did you ask Lily out on a date the other night?" He asked.

Philip thought of how he should answer the question, as a creeping suspicion was working its way into his head. "Oh no. I knew the lady who was putting on the dance and she asked if I could find people to attend. Why? Are you guys courting?"

Philip waited for the other owl's reply. He hoped with all his being that the other owl wouldn't say what he was beginning to think he would say.

"Yeah, we are." Jeramias replied.

Philip's heart dropped all the way to his talons. What? Jeramias, was dating Lily? _But I thought we were friends._

Philip realized that the other owl was waiting for a reply. "Oh, yeah, no. Don't worry."

"Oh, okay good. I was like 'There's no way Philip would ask Lily out if he knew we were dating! He's to good of a friend!'"

Philip vision blurred as all the emotions of the past few days focused themselves into pure rage.

"Oh yeah! I know exactly what you mean! I once had a friend, I can't remember his name, but he was a really good friend. One time, I admitted to him that I liked this girl. I thought I could trust him, but do you know what he did?" Philip asked.

"What?" Jeramias asked suspiciously. He was starting to figure out this wasn't a story.

"He stole her from me! He stabbed me in the back and didn't even bother to tell me that he was doing it! And do you know what else he said?"

"What... did he say." the bigger owl replied hotly. How could this puny little black... owlet speak to him as if he were wrong for falling in love!

Philip barely whispered the next words. "He had the audacity, to question, my loyalty."

The two birds glared at each other. The only thing that stopped them from launching into a bundle of blood, feathers, and talons was an elderly Screech owl who proclaimed, "The games will begin in five minutes! All those competing in stick fighting should head to the staging area!"

Philip broke his stare with the bigger owl and lifted his wings to lift off. When he looked over, he saw Jeramias was doing the same. "What are you doing?" Philip asked.

"I'm going to compete." the white Barn responded smoothly, "Do you have a problem with that?"

Philip looked the large white Barn Owl in the eye and responded "No."

The rules for stick fighting were simple. Points were awarded when a hit landed anywhere on the opponent's body. Five points to win. One point for a hit, two points for a stab, and an extra point for a headshot. Of course, all the contestants wore special wooden helmets to protect from concussions or other, rather unpleasant injuries.

Philip now donned one of these helmets and he held a stick sword in his talon. He and a Grass Owl were circling each other, awaiting the command to start. Philip had a splash of red paint on his back, whereas the other owl had a stripe of blue.

A Spotted Owl, the head judge, blew into a blade of grass, making a sharp whistle. Like a blur, Philip was on the young grass owl. The other owl struggled to deflect the blows that continuously rained down on his head. Finally, the owl slipped and Philip didn't hesitate to stab the side of the other Grass' helmet. The judges called "Break!" and the two owls separated.

"Three points, red!" the Spotted yelled. Philip felt a thrill of excitement at this small victory, but the fight was not over yet. He had to focus. The whistle blew and again, Philip was the first off the line, this time making a smooth uppercut with his stick as he met the Grass mid-flight.

The smaller owl wasn't prepared for the blow and as such, had no time to block. Philip watched as the owl dropped a few feet before shaking his head and returning to the ring.

"Two points, red!" shouted the judge. "Red wins!" The crowd cheered as the Black Barn landed on the branch by his ring. As he waited to be placed in his next round, Philip looked over at Jeramias' ring. The big owl was fighting a snowy. Philip watched as Jeramias lifted his stick high before bringing it crashing down on the other owl's head. The Snowy went limp and plummeted to the ground. Jeramias looked over at Philip and grinned. He then turned his attention to one of the viewing hollows.

Philip followed the other owl's gaze. His eyes lighted on Lily. She was standing at the front of the hollow and was staring intently at Jeramias, worry written across her face. Then the female turned her head, and the two owl's eyes met. Lily had a similar emotion of worry on her face, but this one was mixed with a hint of indecision and confusion. Could it be possible that she was unsure of her choice? Philip hoped against hope that she would.

He was moved into the next ring. This time, the scrawny Black Barn owl was facing a massive Great Grey owl with a green line painted down his back. Philip wasn't worried, though. He had fought much bigger owls than this lunk-head.

Philip began circling the larger owl who flew in place in the middle of the ring. _First mistake_, thought the Black owl. As soon as he heard the whistle, Philip, fast as a bolt of lightning, flew straight at the bigger owl. But instead of attacking his center, the Black Barn darted over the Grey's head, clipping the owl on his visor.

"Two points, red!" shouted the Screech who was judging their ring. The two owls began circling each other. Again the whistle blew. Again Philip rushed the larger owl, hoping to use his speed to throw him off. But this time, the Grey's stick made contact first. Philip's vision blurred slightly as a sharp pain shot up his side. He shook his head and lined back up. "One point, green!" shouted the judge.

Philip knew he couldn't take another hit like that. This time, he would be a little more careful. When the whistle blew, he fell back into a defensive position. This confused the Great Grey, who was expecting the faster owl to rush him. He didn't know what to do, so he made a swipe for Philip's head. When the Grey attacked, the Black Barn used his stick to knock his opponent's weapon to the side. Then Philip whipped the fake sword up and stabbed the larger owl on the side of the head.

"Three points, red!"

After the Grey, Philip faced a Pygmy owl, small but wicked fast. The match ended Philip five, his opponent four. After that was a Spotted, then another Great Grey, then a Mask. Every time he won a match, Philip looked over at Jeramias. The other owl was keeping right up. Whenever he looked at Lily, she seemed worried and torn. Philip grinned in spite of himself.

It came down to the final match, and Philip was ready for his last opponent. When he flew into the ring, the crowd roared. In his anger, It hadn't donned on him that he had practically won! He was in the final round! It was just him and one more competitor.

In his revelation, he forgot who that last competitor was.

He turned slowly in the ring, taking it all in. The crowd, the cheering, the feeling of victory that was swelling inside of him. Then the crowd roared again. Philip turned quickly to face his opponent. He was met by the angry glare of Jeramias.

Instantly, Philip realized that this wasn't an ordinary championship round. This was a fight for so much more. This fight was for the one they both loved. This fight was for Lily.

The two began to circle. The Jeramias had a gold stripe painted down his back. Philip noted the white owl's lack of injuries. While Philip was bleeding, bruised, and tired, Jeramias looked fresh and almost untouched. Either he hadn't had a single decent competitor or Jeramias was an excellent fighter. Probably the later.

As soon as the whistle blew, the two owls collided. Philip started out on the offensive, throwing attack after attack towards the white Barn, but Jeremais blocked every stroke. After a few seconds, Philip started to tire. Jeramias sensed this and pushed his advantage. Now the smaller black Barn was on the defensive, blocking blow after blow aimed specifically towards his head. Then the bigger owl feigned a slash towards Philip's head, but Jeramias quickly reversed and slammed his wooden stick into the black owl's side.

"Break!" Shouted the judges, "One point, Gold!"

Philip tried to catch his breath. He thought he had felt something crack, but wasn't sure. Either way, he was mad.

As soon as the whistle blew, Philip was on the bigger owl, swinging with a reckless abandon. After a series of blocked hits, the Black Barn jabbed at the White owl. He felt the stick connect with his opponent's side.

The judges called break and awarded Philip two points.

As the whistle blew, Philip rushed again, this time aiming for the bigger owls head. Jeramias blocked every blow. Suddenly, Philip saw an opening and slashed at the White owl's head. The hit connected.

"Break!"

Phillip thought that this was going a little to well. It had so far been ridiculously easy to score. He couldn't believe that the score was four to one. _Maybe he isn't as good as I thought._

That's when Philip looked into Jeramias' eyes. The other owl grinned. Just grinned, then dropped into a defensive position.

_Is he just playing.._.but Philip's though was cut short by the sound of the whistle and a sudden blur of feathers throwing itself at him. The black owl lifted his stick to block, but it was no use. There was a sudden blossoming of pain his his side, followed closely by a sharp stab under his wing, then a solid crack on his head.

"Break! Break!" yelled the judges. Finally, the onslaught ceased. Philip knew for sure now that he had broken ribs and possibly a concussion. "Two points, gold," they shouted, "but, one point is removed for excessive contact."

_Excessive contact?_ Thought Philip, _That was frinking attempted murder!_

But he would never show weakness in front of his opponent. He puffed himself up to what he hoped was twice his size.

It didn't affect anything.

This time, as the whistle blew, Philip prepared himself for the onslaught that was about to come, but even this wasn't enough. Jeramias stabbed the black Barn in the chest so hard that it knocked him back a few feet.

"The score is four and four!" Announced the judges. At this, the crowd roared. "Are the contestants ready to continue?"

Philip looked at Jeramias. The white Barn was glaring at the smaller owl. He was ready for blood.

Then Philip looked up at Lily who was crying tears of both fear, and frustration. She hated every second of this. She knew exactly what was going on, and she didn't want to see another second of it. All Philip wanted to do in that moment was to fly up there and comfort her. He couldn't stand seeing her like this.

"Jeramias!" Philip called, "I can't do this anymore. You win." He threw down his stick and began to fly away from the ring.

"Yeah! That's right! Run! Run away like the Black Barn that you are! Your mother should have ended your pitiful life the second you hatched!"

Philip stopped. _You will pay for that comment,_ He though as he slowly reached for his weapon with an outstretched talon. Philip turned slowly around and faced his opponent. "Let's do this."

As the whistle blew, Jeramias took the offensive. Philip was expecting this. He blocked every strike, every stab, every slash. The bigger owl kept pressing. Philip began to falter and the white Barn pushed harder.

But Philip didn't give. He looked straight into Jeramias' eyes and gave him a look of pure resistance. The bigger owl hadn't experienced that before. He panicked and slipped. Philip pushed his advantage and began to hammer the other owl with blow after blow.

With one swing, Philip knocked the other owl's weapon out of his talons. The Black Barn grabbed the other owl's wing and swung his stick in a great arc towards Jeramias' head. But he didn't connect. He stopped less than an inch from the thin helmet.

"I am not a coward," Philip stated, "You are. You have to hide behind your tough guy facade. You hide behind it like a newborn chick hides behind his mother. You can't even ask me face to face if you could date the girl I like. And you know what else? As much as I hate to see Lily in the arms of a jerk and a liar like you, I don't want to see her hurting like she is right now."

He let go of the other owl and landed on a branch right outside of the arena. He looked towards Lily and lifted his wing in a salute. He already knew how she would react. She, of course, hadn't heard the exchange, so she scowled at him. He finished the salute with a flourish of his wing and a bow before placing the appendage behind his back.

Right then, Philip heard a shout from one of the judges. He turned to see what was going on. Jeramias had shoved the Snowy who was judging their ring out of his way and was hurling himself at Philip, talons raised to strike.

The Black Barn owl turned to fly, but felt the larger owl's talons scrape a large gash in his back. The pain that shot up his spine was so much that he fell to the ground. He rolled once, then was back on his feet.

Philip pushed his wings out to his sides, giving himself better balance. Jeramias had circled around and was lining up for another attack run. But this time, Philip was ready. Right as the other owl stuck out his talons to attack, the black Barn lofted himself into the air and locked his talons with the bigger owl. They rotated once in the air before Philip released. Jeramias made a solid 'Thump!' as he hit the ground.

Philip watched for a moment, but the other owl didn't get back up. Suddenly, something white and gold flash by him. When it landed by the other owl, he saw that it was Lily. Philip shook his head, then flew to the side of the downed owl. When he got there, he noted that Jeramias was still breathing. He was just unconscious.

He looked up at Lily and began to say that Jeramias was okay, but she cut him off. "What was that?" She yelled.

"What do you mean?" he asked, not understanding.

"That! I mean, I know he had you beat, but you didn't have to go and almost kill him! I saw that blow to the head!"

"What are you talking about? I didn't even hit him!" he tried to explain.

"Oh sure! And when he tried to congratulate you on your win? You ran away. Then you did that fancy move to throw him on the ground. So winning wasn't enough, huh? You just had to go the extra step and totally humiliate him. I though you were better than that!" She then turned and began to attend to her mate-to-be.

"Wait, what? I didn't run he tried to..." But his voice was drowned out by the sudden influx of owls on the ground.

The arena was swarming with medics and officials. Everybody but the judges had seen what Lily had seen, and they were infuriated by Philips actions. The judge of his ring had been right there, so she was able to explain what had happened to the officials.

The medics treated Philip for his back wound. He hadn't really noticed it until the doctors started poking and prodding. He was happy that nothing critical was injured, but that didn't stop the pain. They placed a poultice on the wound, covered it with a leaf, then tied the whole thing to his back using a strip of surprisingly soft, white bark.

He searched the crowd, trying to get a glimpse of Lily so he could explain, but he didn't see her. The judges were keeping the crowd at bay, using sticks to enforce their rule. As soon as his wound was wrapped, he made his way to the front of the clearing.

When he got there, a mob had already formed and was waiting for him outside of the arena. He was escorted out by two, huge Great Grey Owls who took him all the way to his hollow.

Before they left, the one guard looked at Philip and said, "Hey, I know you didn't do anything wrong, but they don't. If I were you, I would consider high-tailing it out of here the first chance you get."

Philip thought about this. Maybe he could go live near his mother. While he was thinking, he looked down at the bark wrapped around his torso. The paleness of the bark contrasted sharply with his black feathers. The feathers that marked him as different. As a freak. He could never live anywhere else. Nobody else would accept him. And now, everybody here hated him. He didn't know what to do. Was there anywhere an owl like himself could live in peace?

* * *

><p>Sometime around break-light, Philip heard a flutter of wings outside his hollow. He turned quickly to see who the intruder was. It was Lily. She stood in the doorway and stared at him for a moment.<p>

"Yes?" Philip asked.

"I heard about what happened down there."

"Did Jeramias wake up?"

"No," she almost spat, "he's still unconscious thanks to you. The owl who was judging your ring told me everything."

"Everything?" Philip asked, "Even the part about..."

"Yes, even the part where you believe he stole me from you."

"Oh. I can explain..." Philip started.

"No, let me. I'm not some piece of vole that you can play around with. I make my own decisions. I have some choice in who I want to be my mate. I like you as a friend and all, but I don't want you to court me."

"Why?" Philip asked, "Why don't you want to be my mate?"

"Well, Your funny, and smart, but he doesn't..." She tried to search for the words.

"Have black feathers." Philip provided.

Lily shuffled her feet nervously. She tried to change the subject. "Oh, I see you're packing."

"Yeah. I can't risk staying around."

"Oh." she responded. "Where do you plan on going?"

"Well, my mother used to tell me stories about this place in the middle of a sea where all the owls are dedicated to doing good deeds. I figured, If there's any place I'll be accepted, it'd be there."

Lily threw back her head and laughed. "You mean the great tree of Ga'Hoole? You must be yoiks! That's just a myth. A legend. You can't really be planning on going there."

"Well," Philip responded, "I am. I was just about to leave when you came." At this, they both became silent.

After a few moments, Lily turned to leave. "Well, I wish you the best of luck. I hope you find what you're looking for."

As she lifted her wings to fly off, Philip called out for her to stop. She turned to see what he had to say. But he didn't say anything. Instead he stepped close to her and wrapped his wings around the female then swept her off of her feet so she was staring up at him. He gazed into her eyes. Then he slowly leaned down and kissed her. A deep passionate kiss that conveyed every feeling he had ever felt for the owl in his arms. She was shocked at first, then realized how much she had wanted this. So she kissed him back.

After a few seconds, he broke away from her and set her back on her feet, grabbed his pack in his talons, then flew into the slowly darkening night, leaving Lily standing at the entrance to his hollow. She stood there for a few minutes, trying to figure out what had just happened. Suddenly, she realized that who she had really wanted the whole time was gone.

* * *

><p>Philip was sitting at a blind nest-maid snake in the great hollow of the Ga'Hoole tree. He was sipping a cup of milkberry tea and thinking about his journey. The flight from Ambala had been okay. It wasn't until he had gotten over the sea of Hoolemere that he had began to think that his plan was insane. At that point, though, it was already to late to turn back. The fog was so thick, he couldn't see and the winds threw him around like an owlipoppin. A few times, he thought his wings might be ripped clean off.<p>

It was in the middle of this horrible squall that he had met one of the high matriarchs of the tree. Barran had flown to him, like a beacon of light in the darkness. She helped him navigate the williwals, as she called them, and led him to the biggest and most beautiful tree he had ever seen. The great tree of Ga'Hoole. He couldn't believe that he had finally found it! All his life, he had dreamed of this place, and now it was here!

When he got to the tree, he had been sent to the infirmary, where one of the matrons helped nurse him back to health. A stunning snowy owl named Neera.

Also as he nursed his cup of tea, Philip thought about the coming day. Tomorrow he would start chaw practice. Neera said he was pretty much guaranteed to be in the search and rescue chaw, the one he was in, because the Black Barn had great skills in combat.

But tonight, he was sitting alone. He had tried to make friends, but it appeared that even here, superstition still swayed decisions. Neera had been kind to him, but it was her job to be kind to the owls she worked with.

There was a traveling gadfeather in the great tree that night. He had began to sing a sad tune. Philip was okay with this. He wasn't in the mood to celebrate.

It starts with pain, followed by hate.

Fueled by the endless questions no one can answer.

A stain covers your heart.

Tears you apart just like a sleeping cancer.

Now I don't believe men are born to be killers,

I don't believe this world can't be saved.

How did you get here and when did it start,

An innocent child with a thorn in his heart?

What kind of world do we live in,

Where love is divided by hate?

Losing control of our feelings,

We all must be dreaming this life away,

In a world so cold...

The song continued, but Philip was distracted as another owl flew up beside him. He rotated his head to see who was bothering him. All he wanted at the moment was to be alone.

He swiveled his head to look at the intruder and saw...himself! At first he couldn't believe what he was seeing, but he blinked his eyes a few times and looked back at the strange thing beside him. He found that he wasn't looking at himself, but at another Black Barn owl.

"Hi!" said the obviously female voice, "My name's Shrin. I saw you when you got here a few days ago. I didn't know there were any other black Barns! What's your name?"

"Philip." He responded, "Pleased to meet you Shrin!" Philip couldn't believe what he was seeing. He too had though he was the only other Black Barn.

"Philip," She said, seeming to taste the name, "I like it! So, Philip, have you seen the library yet?"

"Umm, no actually. I don't know how to read." Philip stared at his talons, ashamed at his newfound shortcoming.

Shrin lifter Philip's beak with her wing, forcing him to look her in the eye. "And? I didn't know how to read when I got here. Come on, I'll teach you!"

As they flew to the library, Philip though maybe life wasn't so bad after all. _I like it here_. he thought, _And, maybe being a Black Barn isn't such a bad thing after all._

**A/N: Well, there you have it! Once again, sorry to all my fans who are still anxiously waiting for the next chapter of _The Guardian_. Trust me, the school year is coming to a close and I will have all the time in the world to write**

**Please leave a comment. If you do, I will personally bake you a cookie and then eat it in your name!**

**And so we go!**


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